SPOILER ALERT: This story incorporates spoilers from all 5 episodes of “Sirens,” now streaming on Netflix.
Hey hey! Starch your pastels and delete all of your incriminating texts — Molly Smith Metzler‘s new black comedy sequence “Sirens” is now streaming on Netflix. Tailored from Metzler’s 2011 play “Elemeno Pea,” the sequence follows Devon (Meghann Fahy) a prickly, blue-collar New Yorker who visits her sister Simone (Milly Alcock) on the ritzy Nantucket-ish property owned by Simone’s glamorous boss, Michaela (Julianne Moore).
Although Devon visits Michaela’s island intent on chewing Simone out for leaving her alone to take of their growing older father Bruce (Invoice Camp), Devon is shortly suspicious of the unusual, cult-like conduct at her sister’s new job.
Whereas ducking the prying eyes of Michaela’s all-seeing home supervisor Jose (Felix Solis), Devon works to uncover the reality about what’s happening at Cliff Home and why Simone (who will get the particular privilege of calling Michaela by the nickname “Kiki”) is so hooked up to her mysterious boss.
Over the course of 1 candy-colored weekend, Devon discovers a sordid affair buried in Michaela and her husband Peter (Kevin Bacon)’s mysterious previous and races to free her sister from their clutches earlier than she’s brainwashed into the coastal elite for good.
Forward of the sequence’ Netflix debut, Selection spoke to “Sirens” creator Metzler concerning the murky traces between hero and villain, the double that means within the present’s title, and why uber-rich New Englanders are so obsessive about Lilly Pulitzer.
On the finish of the sequence, Simone has changed Michaela on the prime of the meals chain, in a cycle harking back to how Michaela ended up with Peter within the first place. How did you arrive at that ending?
I like that you just really feel that manner, that it’s cyclical. A part of it’s intentional — that is an adaptation impressed by the sirens of Greek mythology, which is a story as outdated as time. We open the present with the shot of Julie on the cliff, and we shut it with Simone. They’re standing in the identical place on the cliff, sort of just like the island’s all the time going to be there, and this story goes to proceed to go on and on.
There’s one thing about that that felt very entire and full, as a result of that’s the shock of it. That’s the treachery of this world, that’s the lure. I used to be additionally actually eager to flip the attitude. We’re typically listening to concerning the sirens from the sailor’s perspective, and this sequence is about what it means to be forged within the position of a siren. I don’t assume any of those ladies would voluntarily name themselves sirens, however they’re all forged on this position.
Peter is such an integral piece of the “Sirens” puzzle. How did Kevin Bacon get entangled with the sequence?
Casting Kevin was really easy. We have been like “You recognize who can be wonderful as Peter? Kevin. Do you assume he’d do it?” And Kevin mentioned sure. Peter isn’t within the play, so I used to be creating this position for the primary time with Kevin Bacon. It was actually, actually enjoyable.
He’s the right Peter, as a result of though he’s Kevin Bacon and he’s “Footloose,” in particular person he’s so heat and humble, sort of has a working-class vibe. I liked that for Peter, as a result of Peter’s energy is so large, it’s nearly laborious to dramatize. I needed him to really feel like he was preventing towards that on a regular basis; he’s making an attempt to disarm folks and provides his energy away. I actually needed the viewers to neglect how a lot energy he has; I needed the viewers to really feel like Devon did, “This man’s cool.”
I additionally don’t know that I might name him the villain — I don’t know that Kevin would name him the villain, both. On the finish, when he’s saying “I would like love and household and goodness and I would like my life to matter,” he actually means these issues. He feels that he’s been wronged by a monster.
Kiki and Devon agree on the ferry that Simone isn’t a monster, however the ultimate shot of her on the cliffside appears to suggest in any other case. Do you consider Simone as a monster?
That’s the query I’m fascinated by: How are they heroes and villains of their very own tales? I’m excited to listen to folks’s interpretations of the ending. We checked out so many alternative takes of Simone on that cliff, and we went with the one we went with as a result of it has a little bit of a Mona Lisa high quality.
She’s just a little bit smiling, just a little bit not, and it’s laborious to know precisely what she feels in that second. I’ve my reply, however I like that we give the viewers that query. Is it truthful, the folks we forged within the roles of “monster” in our lives? Are we villains? Are they? What’s a monster, actually?
“Sirens” relies in your play “Elemeno Pea.” What was it like bringing this story from the stage to the display screen?
The play is a five-character, 90-minute play that occurs in a single room — the visitor home. The 5 characters are Michaela, Simone, Devon, Ethan and Jose. I wrote the play a bazillion years in the past, however they’ve been with me this entire time, they’re the core forged on this present too. From there, actually every thing else modified. It’s a five-hour mini-series, we’re by no means simply in a single room. The vibrancy of this world: the cliff, the island, all these visible components, it was extraordinary to have the ability to carry them to life.
Then there are the characters we hear about however don’t meet within the play: Bringing in Peter was large. Devon and Simone’s father we hear about within the play, however to have him come on and be Invoice Camp? There are such a lot of issues we hear about onstage however don’t get to see, like how many individuals worship Michaela. It’s one factor to listen to about that on stage, however we don’t get to see it in particular person. All the pieces received wider, deeper, extra layered, extra lush, extra pastel, extra cult.
What’s with all of the Lilly Pulitzer?
Fairly merely, I spent a summer time in Martha’s Winery and I’ve since spent some summers in Nantucket. My finest pal has a home there, and it’s for actual. Lilly Pulitzer is for actual. All of them have it on in Nantucket. Then there’s the Nantucket reds, the salmon colour pants. The primary time you see it, you’re like, “The place am I?” It’s so brilliant. It’s type of like, in the event you’ve been there, you’re in on the joke, you understand the pants to purchase. It additionally takes a sure standing to placed on a costume just like the one Simone has one once we meet her.
It’s ridiculous. I like Lilly, I’ve some Lilly, but it surely’s just a little ridiculous. There’s one thing so saturated and brilliant about it. We’re so lucky Carolyn Duncan, our costume designer, took that and simply ran with it – many of the stuff on the present that appears like Lilly Pulitzer is definitely customized.
Speak about casting Simone. What have been an important traits you knew she wanted to have?
Simone’s a really troublesome position. Milly is such a incredible actor — it was solely her, ever. What was necessary about Simone is that we [the audience] can’t get forward of her. We’ve to marvel, we’ve got to be making an attempt to determine her out. She will’t inform us every thing. She has to interrupt our hearts just a little.
To have this capability to include secrets and techniques however to withhold them and have this facade with Michaela that’s completely completely different than the connection together with her sister, to maintain all these plates spinning, that’s a tall order. She’s so exact in when she turns sure playing cards over in her efficiency.
A big a part of Devon’s story revolves across the pressure of taking good care of her father. What impressed that storyline?
Adapting this story for 2025, there’s a category hole in our nation and the wage hole is simply getting greater and greater. Lots of people are ready like Devon: You will have growing older dad and mom, and now it’s out of the blue your new job, however you don’t have any cash for it. It’s a manner for me to speak about my favourite topic, class and socioeconomics.
There’s additionally an expectation that you just’re not going to undergo that alone — you’re going to have your siblings. What occurred to Simone as a toddler is horrible, and in her mind, she is subsequently absolved of getting something to do together with her father. Is that truthful? I don’t know, however I believe that’s an amazing query between them, an amazing battle. What do you owe the individuals who raised you? Can you modify the place you’re from? Are you able to truly go forth and absolve your self of your dad and mom and by no means return?
Clarify the double that means behind the sequence’ title, “Sirens.”
These sisters have a code phrase — within the play, it’s “Elemeno Pea,” which is the identify of the play and there’s a complete story behind why that’s the code phrase. Within the present, “Sirens” being their code phrase, it’s the final word “911, drop every thing, I would like you.”
After I was writing the Greek mythology component and naming the present “Sirens,” within the script, I had them textual content one another the sirens emoji. It got here from a unconscious place — possibly as a substitute of the emoji, it’s the phrase “sirens,” after which we get to have this stunning double-meaning. That by no means occurs as a author, but it surely simply coalesced and landed in my lap.
What’s the origin of “Hey hey”?
In my summers in Martha’s Winery, once I labored on the Yacht Membership, I had observed that they picked up one another’s manner of claiming issues. One lady would are available in with a brand new bracelet that simply dropped on the town, after which they’d all have it.
They did it with language, too, that they had their very own manner of talking and there was a contagion to it. In my thoughts, Michaela simply type of mentioned it at some point, after which Simone mentioned it again, and it turned one thing the 2 of them say. I simply made it up.
Why does Jose name Michaela “Mi Amor”?
That’s within the play. There are only a few issues which are verbatim within the play that make it to the sequence, however Jose calling Michaela “Mi Amor,” after which later transferring that to another person, that’s all the time been in there. I like Jose.
I needed to maintain it as a result of it’s a very good reminder that Jose has plenty of energy on this home. He sees and is aware of every thing, and says nothing. He is aware of the place all of the our bodies are buried. He’s larger up on the meals chain than Michaela, though it doesn’t look like that whenever you meet them. There’s a tinge of condescension to “Mi Amor” as properly.
Clarify the lockets all of the “sirens” put on. Are they utilizing them to govern folks? Are they full of medicine?
So, the locket — no, there’s no medicine, however the lockets are an actual factor in Nantucket Island. It’s one thing you’ll be able to solely purchase in Nantucket, they’re referred to as basket necklaces, and so they often have ivory from Wales in them. However they’re very costly, they’re handmade, and everybody in Nantucket and Martha’s Winery is sporting them.
It’s a standing image. You’re not within the membership in the event you don’t have one. Carolyn Duncan made that occur, made all of them occur. It’s an amazing image of getting arrived. You will have the important thing, you’ve the necklace, but it surely’s just a little culty. It’s just a little like sporting a cross, like a faith. You recognize one thing that everybody else doesn’t.
All through “Sirens,” Michaela has a fascination with birds — she’s answerable for theFolger Wildlife Preservation Society. Why are birds so necessary to her, and the sequence?
When Homer first describes sirens, he describes them as half-bird, half-woman. Finally, over time, they turned the sexualized mermaid factor, however their unique portrayal was half-monster, half-woman. They’re terrible, they’re ugly — it’s actually attention-grabbing the way it modified over time. In order that’s a part of it, it’s a nod to the unique Greek mythology. The opposite half is, Michaela has stuffed her life with one thing to mom, one thing to care about. And I believe she would possibly contemplate herself a uncommon fowl.
However they’re additionally predators. They give the impression of being very stunning, however they’ll rip your face out and break your coronary heart and are available again and smash your window. They’re not candy. Sirens are usually not candy. They’re half predator.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
